1.
Introduction:
A few seconds heavenly spectacle, and then it was gone
 the last solar eclipse of the millennium. It had been
witnessed by millions around the world.

The moon 1/400th the size
of the sun, and 400 times closer to the earth than the sun,
has the same size as the sun when viewed from the planet
Earth. Thus, when the moon comes in-between the sun and the
earth a Solar Eclipse results.

This is what, almost the entire human
race witnessed, yesterday, the 11th of August
1999. This was destined to be a great historical event, as
it was the last solar eclipse of not only this year (1999),
but of this century and this millennium.

2. Two
Important Eclipses in the History of Islam:
This event was a reminder of two important eclipses in the
history of Islam. The first one occurred during the lifetime
of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him; the second one occurred twice during the
Promised Messiah and Mahdi Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
Sahibs lifetime.

3. The
Solar Eclipse During Our Holy Prophet Muhammads (pbuh)
Lifetime:
A solar eclipse occurred only once after the advent of our
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him). He led a 2-rakah prayer on this occasion.

It is narrated in the most authentic
book of the Hadith (Tradition of the Holy Prophet Muhammad,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)  Sahih
Bukhari:

Abd Allah ibn Amr
said,

When the sun was eclipsed in the
time of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of
Allah be on him, a call was given that prayer-service
gathering together (people) was going to be held.
(Bukhari - 16 : 3.)

This eclipse occurred on the day of
the death of Ibrahim, the Prophets eighteen-months old
son. The service differed from the ordinary prayer service
in that there were two qiyams and two rukus in
each rakah (Note: After the first qiyam (i.e., the
standing posture in the service) there was a
ruku (i.e., the bending-down posture in the
service) as in the ordinary service, though of longer
duration, and then a qiyam followed again in which a
portion of the Quran was recited; this was followed by a
second ruku, after rising from which the
sajdah (i.e., prostration) was performed as in
ordinary service; the recitation being in a loud voice, as
in Friday and Id prayers [Bukhari  18: 2,
19].)

There is also mention of a sermon
having been delivered after the service (Bukhari 
16:4). In this sermon, the Prophet, while enjoining charity
and seeking forgiveness from God (istighfar),
referred particularly to Ibrahims death. When the
people saw that the sun had darkened, they began to say
among themselves that this was due to Ibrahims death.
The Prophet rebutted this idea in his sermon, saying that
"the sun and the moon do not suffer eclipse for any
ones death or life" (Bukhari 16:13). This was the only
occasion of an eclipse on which a service was held by the
Prophet (Zad al-Maad I, p. 129).

(The above two paragraphs
have been taken [and modified a bit] from The
Religion of Islam by Maulana Muhammad Ali, p. 338,
under the heading Service During
Eclipse.)

4. The
Significance of the Prayer/Service Offered During a Solar or
Lunar Eclipse:
The service/prayer offered during a solar or lunar eclipse
has a very deep-rooted meaning, and should not, at any cost,
be considered a form of moon- or sun-worship.

The essence of this prayer lies in the
fact that a Muslim seeks protection from his Creator
(Allah), while offering this service from his
spiritually-luminant soul (symbolised by the bright
sun/moon) from becoming enwrapped in the spiritual-darkness
(symbolised by the eclipsed sun/moon) of evilness,
misconception and sinfulness.

5. The
Solar and Lunar Eclipses During the Promised Messiah and
Mahdi Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Sahibs Life:
The solar and lunar eclipses occurring during Hazrat Mirza
Ghulam Ahmad Sahibs lifetime were great heavenly
signs, prophesied in the history of Islam and other
religions. Both, the lunar and solar eclipses, occurred in
the holy Islamic month of Ramazan (that fell in the months
of March and April in the year 1894 A.D.). The lunar eclipse
occurred on the 13th of Ramazan (or
20th March 1894) and the solar eclipse occurred
on the 28th of Ramazan (or 6th April
1894). This was a unique phenomenon, because never before,
in the history of the universe, had both eclipses fallen
within the same lunar month.

After occurring in the East, the same
phenomenon occurred in the West, in the month of Ramazan
falling in the year 1895 A.D.

Below is an account of this
phenomenon, taken from the book  Christ is
Come by Mirza Masum Beg Sahib, p. 15-19.

a.
The Heavenly Sign:There was another sign, the
great sign of the Heaven, which leaves not a shadow of doubt
[on the appearance of the Promised Mahdi and
Messiah]. The advent of a man from God, and for that
matter, of the prominent position of Messiah-cum-Mahdi, was
indeed an event of no small magnitude. Such an important
occurrence is invariably accompanied by signs and wonders,
so that the world may easily be able to recognise him. The
appearance of the Promised Messiah has, accordingly, been
marked. The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him, has left for our guidance an unmistakable sign,
the like of which has never been witnessed by the world,
ever since its creation:

[Arabic
omitted]

"Of our Mahdi there
are two signs which have never taken place ever since the
Earth and the Heaven came into existence. One is that in
the month of Ramazan the moon shall be eclipsed on the
first of its nights and the sun in the middle of its
days; and such a sign has never occurred ever since the
creation of the Earth and the Heaven." (Dar
al-Qutni, vol. 8, p. 188).

This tradition was of such a
universal acceptance that even the books of the Shias
have recorded it at length:

[Arabic
omitted]

"It has been reported from
Abu Jafar alai-his-salaam (peace be on him) that the
event of the Mahdis appearance shall be attended by
two clear signs which will carry with them the weight of
ten strong signs. These are the solar and the lunar
eclipses; and a similar sign has never happened ever
since Adam came upon this planet. All the astrological
records fail to cite even one such instance from the
beginning of the creation, down to the present time."
(Ikmal al-Din, p. 361)

b.
The Law of Eclipse:The advent of the Promised
Messiah-cum-Mahdi, it is evident from the Holy
Prophets (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
tradition, shall be heralded by this strange and singular
sign of the heaven. The moon, in the month of Ramazan, shall
be darkened on the first of its appointed nights and the sun
in the middle of its fixed days. Now it is a well-known
astronomical law, that a lunar eclipse always take place on
the 13th, 14th or 15th
lunar night, and a solar one on the 27th,
28th, or 29th day of the lunar month.
Hence the sign of the Mahdis appearance, to put the
whole thing in a straight and simple language, is that in
the month of Ramazan the moon shall be eclipsed on the
13th night and the sun on the 28th
day.

This sign of the Double
Occultation of the sun and the moon can be traced as far
back as the Old Testament. Speaking of the "Second Coming of
the Lord", it says, "the stars of heaven and the
constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun
shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not
cause her light to shine" (Isaiah, 13:10). Similarly we
read: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall
the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the
heavens shall be shaken; and then shall appear the sign of
the Son of man in heaven." (St. Matthew, 24:39).

A mention of this great sign is
also found in Guru Granth Sahib, the sacred scripture
of the Sikhs:

[original script
omitted]

"When the Nishkalank Avtar
will appear, his coming will be proclaimed unto the
whole world; and the sun and the moon will give his
evidence." [Ravi in Sanskrit means the sun and
Ind stands for the moon].

c.
The Mahdis Appearance:This double obscuration of the
sun and the moon took place in the year 1300 Hijrah,
corresponding to the year 1894 of the Christian era. In the
month of Ramazan, in that year, the moon was eclipsed on the
13th night and the sun on the 28th
day, precisely in accordance with the Holy Prophets,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, word. It was such
a unique and unprecedented eclipse, that it has ever since
been called THE DARK DAY in history. Astronomers turned
every leaf of their dusty record in vain, for not a single
similar instance they could find ever since this world came
into existence. The Mahdi, of a truth, had come into the
world. And he was no other man than Hazrat Mirza Ghulam
Ahmad Sahib of Qadian. Righteous souls rallied round him and
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Sahib applied himself with
assiduity to the rejuvenation of Islam.

The growing popularity and
success of Hazrat Mirza Sahib made the Maulvis all the more
adamant. They fretted and fumed with envy, crying that the
sign had not been fulfilled, and that the lunar eclipse,
according to the Holy Prophets, peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him, hadith should take place on the
first night of Ramazan and the solar eclipse on the
15th day:

[Arabic
omitted]

The lunar eclipse on the
1st and the solar on the 15th,
according to the law governing eclipses, are sheer
impossibilities. Moreover, the moon of the first night is
almost invisible, and it will be much more so if it were
eclipsed. No human eye will be able to see this sign, this
darkened moon of the first night, and yet it is, according
to the Maulvis, the singular sign of the Great Mahdi. And,
thus such a interpretation of the hadith is, on the
very face of it, senseless and absurd.

d.
Imam Ibn-i Tamiyya:The Maulvi is ever averse to
scientific truth. Even the learning of modern sciences he
looks down upon as a rank heresy. To make his conviction
complete, we shall, therefore, quote from the accredited
Muslim sages and savants. Writes Imam Tamiyya:

[original text
omitted]

"The solar eclipse occurs
towards the last part of the month when the moon has not
yet begun to shine forth; and the lunar eclipse in the
bright nights, i.e., 13th, 14th or
15th. This is the law of God pertaining to the
motions of the sun and the moon." (Al-Taaruz
ba'yn al-Aql, p. 224)

[original text
omitted]

"The astronomers say that the
lunar eclipse takes place only when the moon occupies a
special position with respect to the sun; and it does not
occur excepting on the 13th, 14th
or 15th. Likewise, the solar eclipse cannot
take place excepting on the dates of 27th,
28th or 29th when the sun comes
nearer to the moon." (Hujaj al-Kiramah, p.
344).

e.
The Arabic Lexicon (hilal vs. qamar):Last of all, we shall quote
from the Arabic lexicon. For the moon there were two terms
in Arabic language, hilal and qamar. For the
first three or four nights, the moon is called hilal
by the Arabs, and thenceforward, up to the end of the month
it is called qamar. They never used the term qamar
for the moon of the first three or four nights. It is
written in Sihah Jauhari:

[Arabic omitted]

"The moon of the first,
second and third nights is called hilal, and after
the third up to the end of the month it is called
qamar on account of its brightness."

Lisan-al-Arab is another
famous Arabic lexicon. Under the term qamar it
writes:

[Arabic omitted]

that is, the term qamar is used
after the third night up to the end of the month. The Holy
Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, used the
term qamar and not hilal; hence, it could not
be the moon of the first night, as wrongly interpreted by
the Mulla.

A Mahdi had been promised to
the Muslim nation. Mahdi means one who guides aright.
He was to appear in the fourteenth century of the Islamic
era, when corruption and irreligion shall be on the rampage.
All the nations  Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and Muslims
 waited for him very eagerly. The Hindus called him
Nishkalank or Kalki Avtar; the Sikhs named him
Mahdi Mir, the Christians called his appearance as
the Second Coming of the Christ; and the Muslims gave him
the name of Promised Messiah-cum-Mahdi. Several signs,
beyond the power of mortal man, had been foretold to mark
his advent. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Sahib of Qadian has
been raised in fulfilment of these prophecies. He proclaimed
himself as such in 1880. In 1882, the sign of Plague came to
be fulfilled. In 1883, the Sign of Seven Days Fire from East
occurred. In 1889, the Hajj was stopped. In 1894, the
sign of Heaven came to pass. In the month of Ramazan, the
moon was eclipsed on the 13th and the sun on the
28th. There has been no other claimant; hence,
the case is quite clear. It is now up to the Muslims and the
Christians, the Hindus and the Sikhs, to accept him and join
hands with him for the promotion of his sublime
mission.

6. An
Extract from the Promised Messiah and Mahdi Hazrat Mirza
Sahibs Book Najm-ul-Huda (The Star that
Guides):
Yet, another proof of my truth is contained in the lunar and
the solar eclipses which happened in the month of Ramazan. I
have described this occurrence in detail, in my book, "The
Nur al-Haq". I was already a constant recipient of divine
help when this sign was manifested. As narrated in the Holy
Prophets saying, this sign was a sure indication of
the advent of the Mahdi. Praise then be to God, Who showered
His favours upon me in such abundance and fulfilled His
promise by manifesting His signs. He thus opened the path of
guidance for His seekers and lent them His light to enable
them to traverse the path. The inwardness of the question
was now laid bare to the wise, and the truth was made clear
to all who were prepared to see. It may indeed be said that
these divine signs are like a bright sword drawn from its
sheath, to silence the opponents and to condemn the
disbelievers. For there might be men to whom my appearance
at a period of ascendancy of the Cross and the prevalence of
its cult and at the beginning of this century might not
appeal as conclusive proofs of my coming from the Lord, and
similarly there might be men who are of the opinion that my
writing of certain Arabic works and my mastery of the depths
of Arabic literature could not be considered to be signs of
any special divine help, and it was just the fruit of my own
secret industry; to such men the signs of the
eclipses were a thing to ponder on. Could such occurrences
also be the result of human machinations? Were they not sure
and certain witnesses from God? The particulars of these
signs, as narrated by the eminent Muslims in the books of
Hadith are as follows: Dar-ul-Qutni reports to
have heard from Imam Muhammad Baqir the following
statement:- "Our Mahdi shall be accompanied by two signs the
like of which have not happened since the creation of the
heaven and the earth, namely, that in a certain month of
Ramazan there will be an eclipse of the moon on the first of
the three nights usual for such eclipses and in the same
month in the second of three days assigned for the solar
eclipse there will occur an eclipse of the sun." The same
report is found in Baihaqi and compiler of
Hadith. The author of the Risala Hashriyya has
even remarked that these eclipses will happen in the month
of Ramazan and after their occurrence the Mahdi will be
recognised in Makka. One of these pious narrators has also
observed that the Mahdi will be recognised only after
numerous divine signs have been disclosed by Heaven and that
in the beginning of his mission he will be denied and
rejected by the people who will take him to be a deceiver
and impostor and pronounce against him the fatwa of
heresy and apostasy and that the same objections will be
raised against him as were raised against the Holy Prophet
[pbuh]; but in the end his acceptance will gain
prevalence in the earth and no two believers will be found
who will not remember him with admiration and praise. The
fact also should be borne in mind that the Holy Quran
makes mention of this sign of the double eclipse as an
indication of the near approach of the last day as you may
read in the sacred verse: "And when the eye shall be
dazzled, and when the moon shall be eclipsed and the sun and
the moon shall be united (in the eclipse)." (The Holy Quran
- 75 : 7 - 9). Nor, must it be supposed that the sign
indicated here is one among the events of the Judgement-day;
because the eclipses referred to in the verse depend for
their occurrence upon the existence of this earth.
They are the result of certain definite and well-known
circumstances and occur at fixed times and stated periods.
In the case of the eclipses, the circumstances are such that
after they have ceased, the sun and the moon will return to
their former condition. On the other hand, the phenomena
which will be manifested on the last day are such as will
come to pass only after the universe has been completely
upset. The circumstances which will bring them to pass can
arise only after the earth has ceased to exist and also its
denizens. In short, the eclipses depend for their occurrence
upon the existing order of our system, and from the
beginning of the universe form a part of its phenomenon. It,
therefore, follows that the lunar and solar eclipses
mentioned in the Holy Quran are only the harbingers of
the last day and not the sign of the last day having already
set in. All these questions have been fully dealt with by me
in my work, "The Nur al-Haq". Several other important
matters have been related in that book in connection with
these signs. These I wish to reproduce here in order to add
to the weight of this argument.

I had stated in that book - "The Nur
al-Haq" - that those people who after witnessing the sign of
the eclipses would not still believe in my truth, nor prefer
religion to the world, would be visited with punishment. It
accordingly came to pass, that after the occurrence of those
eclipses a plague was sent to the heedless people of this
country, and thousands of them were carried away by the
epidemic. The disease caught the miscreants as in a fire.
They fell a prey to it in towns and villages. The fire has
not yet been quenched and is still hovering over their
heads. And all this came to pass as was foretold previous to
the event in successive Divine revelations. And in this is a
sign for the God-fearing. Further, I had said in the same
book that after the occurrence of this sign of the eclipses,
God would lend His help to the righteous, that their number
would increase, and their affairs would prosper and that God
would manifest more signs and spread the knowledge of His
truth among mankind. God out of His mercy and grace has
fulfilled all these prophecies. He has helped the believers
to overcome opposition and in accordance with His promise
increased the number of my followers. One of these signs I
proceed to describe below and I take the opportunity to
express my heartfelt thanks to God for His great mercy. Men
gifted with observing eyes will not fail to discern the
Divine sign in these incidents .... (Najm-ul-Huda, p.
21-23.)

"Mirza Sahib has mentioned a
number of signs regarding his Mujaddidiyyat
(Reformership), but amongst them two signs, that he has
published in his book, are extraordinary, and are very
convincing as regards to his claim as the Mujaddid
(Reformer). Firstly, he has said that it is reported in
the Hadith (Tradition) that the Holy Prophet, peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him, has said that the Mahdi
will appear in a village name Qadia, the Arabic
adaptation of the name Qadian. Secondly, he says that
Imam Muhammad Baqir (rta) has reported in Dar-ul-Qutni,
"Of our Mahdi, there are two signs which have
never taken place ever since the Earth and the Heaven
came into existence. One is that in the month of Ramazan
the moon shall be eclipsed on the first of its nights and
the sun in the middle of its days; and such a sign has
never occurred ever since the creation of the Earth and
the Heaven."

"As the solar and lunar eclipses
occurred on the 6th of April 1894, therefore,
Hazrat Mirza Sahib widely advertised, as conclusive and
undeniable evidence (Ittimaam-e-Hujjut), the
announcement of the fulfilment of the prophecy that the
Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him, had narrated as regards to the appearance of
the Promised Mahdi. [He said] it was binding on
everyone to accept his Mahdiship.

"The Maulvis (religious clerics),
of the time, asked a childish question that the meaning
deduced from the Hadith is that the lunar eclipse would
occur on the first night of Ramazan and the solar eclipse
at mid-Ramazan, but the lunar eclipse occurred on the
13th and the solar eclipse on the
28th of Ramazan, which is contrary to the
hadith. [They said] the solar and lunar eclipse
in the era of the Mahdi will be a different
one.

"After that, Hazrat Khwaja Sahib
said, Subhan
Allah [Glory be
to Allah], listen to what Mirza Sahib has said
explaining the above-mentioned hadith, and has answered
the denying Maulvis. Mirza Sahib said that the meaning of
this hadith is that in support and affirmation of our
Mahdi, two signs have been appointed from the time of the
creation of the Earth and the sky, these have not
appeared in the time of any claimant. And, those two
signs are, that in the time of the claim of the Promised
Mahdi, the lunar eclipse will occur on the 1st
night of the 3 appointed nights, i.e., on the
13th night of Ramazan; and the solar eclipse
will occur on the middle of the 3 appointed days, i.e.,
the 28th of Ramazan.

"After that, Huzoor (i.e., Hazrat
Khwaja Sahib) said, that certainly the meaning of this
hadith is the same as has been narrated by Mirza Sahib;
that the lunar eclipse always occurs on the
13th, 14th or 15th night
of the lunar month, and the solar eclipse always occurs
on the 27th, 28th or
29th day of the lunar month. Hence, the lunar
eclipse that occurred on the 6th of April
1894, was indeed the 13th of Ramazan, which is
the first-appointed night of the lunar eclipse; and the
solar eclipse occurred on the middle of the appointed
days of the solar eclipse."

Taken from: Isharat-e-Faridi,
vol. 3, p. 70-2. A compilation of the talks by Khwaja Ghulam
Farid Sahib of Chachran; compiled by his son.

8.
Conclusion:With such clear manifestations
of the truth of Hazrat Mirza Sahib, as the
Divinely-appointed Promised Mahdi and Messiah, no one should
suspect him. Some ignorant Maulvis tried to belittle this
great heavenly sign by calling the reporter of this hadith
as a hypocrite, others said that this hadith is Zaif
(weak), still others made sillier excuses for not
believing in this sign. We shall, Insha-Allah, clarify all
misconceptions in our Accusations
Answered
section.

But, the following questions remain
for the Maulvis to answer:

1. Hasnt the truth of the
Promised Messiah been manifested beyond doubt, by these
heavenly signs shown by the Almighty Allah, upon which no
mortal has control?

2. When these signs have shone-forth,
are they not the boldest and the most clearest and manifest
signs of the truth of the Promised Messiah? Is it not a
shame to call a hadith Zaif (weak) when it has proved to be
the strongest?